Now that the Bucs have officially said good bye to Doug Martin this offseason, they’re now more determined than ever to address the issues surrounding the team’s running game and the lack of production from it. In light of the team’s struggles, the Buccaneers drafted USC running back Ronald Jones II who will help fill the void.

However the biggest question right now is whether Peyton Barber or Jones II will serve as the Bucs’ No. 1 back this season?

“I almost hesitate to put this one on the list because, as I’ve said several times on Insider Live, I don’t think it’s necessarily critical for either Jones or Peyton Barber to be officially listed as the starter,” Smith said. “I expect them both to get plenty of work. But it will be interesting to see if Jones can immediately grab the bigger share of the backfield workload with a strong training camp/preseason.”

Smith added that aside from that being one question, another important one is whether or not Rodgers, Sims, and the rest of the Bucs’ running backs will earn a role on the team’s depth chart or if they will look elsewhere for talented playmakers following training camp/

“Also, there is more at stake here than just the first line on the depth chart,” Smith emphasized. “Will the Bucs go into 2018 with Jones and their same three holdovers from last year – Barber, Rodgers and Charles Sims – or could somebody like Wilson or Dalton Crossan force his way into the mix.”

As of now, Barber is the starter heading into training camp. However, nothing is set in stone officially until the team kicks off the 2018 season in a few short months.

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